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'''Free verse''' is a form of [[poetry]] that refrains from consistent [[Meter (poetry)|meter]] patterns, [[rhyme]], or any other musical pattern. |
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Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is free. Free Verse displays some elements of form. Most free verse, for example, self-evidently continues to observe a convention of the [[Line (poetry)|poetic line]] in some sense, at least in written representations, thus retaining a potential degree of linkage, however nebulous, with more traditional forms. [[Donald Hall]] goes as far as to say that "the ''form'' of free verse is as binding and as liberating as the ''form'' of a [[rondeau (poetry)|rondeau]],"<ref>Donald Hall, in the essay 'Goatfoot, Milktongue, Twinbird' in the book of the same 1978. ISBN 0-472-40000-2.</ref> and [[T. S. Eliot]] wrote, "No verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job."<ref>in the essay "The Music of Poetry"Jackson (1 January 1942) ASIN B0032Q49RO</ref> |
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Some poets have considered free verse restrictive in its own way. In 1922 [[Robert Bridges]] voiced his reservations in the essay '[[Humdrum and Harum-Scarum]].' [[Robert Frost]] later remarked that writing free verse was like "playing tennis without a net." <!-- How is Frost's comment a concurrence with 'restrictive'? Seems like a criticism of having no rules... --> |
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==Precursors== |
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As the name ''vers libre'' suggests, this technique of using more irregular cadences is often said to be derived from the practices of 19th-century French poets such as [[Gustave Kahn]] and [[Jules Laforgue]] in his ''Derniers vers'' of 1890. However, in English the sort of cadencing that we now recognize as a variety of free verse can be traced back at least as far as the [[King James Bible]]. By referring to [[s:Psalms|Psalms]] it is possible to argue that free verse in English first appeared in the 1380s in the [[John Wycliffe]] translation of the [[Psalms]] and was repeated in different form in most biblical translations ever since. [[Walt Whitman]], who based his verse approach on the Bible, was the major precursor for modern poets writing free verse, though they may have been reluctant to acknowledge his influence.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} |
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One form of free verse was written by [[Christopher Smart]] in a long poem called [[Jubilate Agno]], written sometime between 1759 and 1763 but not published until 1939. |
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Many poets of the Victorian era experimented with form. [[Christina Rossetti]], [[Coventry Patmore]], and [[T. E. Brown]] all wrote examples of unpatterned rhymed verse. [[Matthew Arnold]]'s poem ''Philomela'' contains some rhyme but is very free. Poems such as [[W. E. Henley]]'s 'Discharged' (from his ''In Hospital'' sequence), and [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s poems 'The Light-Keeper' and 'The Cruel Mistress' can be counted early examples of free verse.<ref>see note 25 on page LX of ''The Penguin Book of Victorian Verse'' Penguin Classics, 1999. ISBN 0-14-044578-1</ref> |
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In France, a few pieces in [[Arthur Rimbaud]]'s [[prose poem]] collection [[Illuminations (poems)|Illuminations]] were arranged in manuscript in lines, rather than prose. |
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In the Netherlands, ''tachtiger'' (i.e. member of 1880s generation of innovative poets) [[Frederik van Eeden]] employed the form at least once (in his poem ''Waterlelie'' ["water lily"]<ref>[http://4umi.com/vaneeden/waterlelie.htm De waterlelie < Frederik van Eeden <4umi word<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>). |
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[[Goethe]] (particularly in some early poems, such as [[Prometheus (Goethe)|Prometheus]]) and [[Hölderlin]] used it occasionally, due in part to a misinterpretation of the meter used in [[Pindar]]'s poetry; in Hölderlin's case, he also continued to write unmetered poems after discovering this error.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=ELuZzgnE81MC&pg=PR15 Michael Hamburger: ''Foreword''] in: Robert Marcellus Browning (ed.) : ''German poetry from 1750 to 1900'' (The German library, vol. 39), New York: The Continuum Publishing Company, 1984, p. XV, ISBN 0-8264-0282-8</ref> |
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The German poet [[Heinrich Heine]] made an important contribution to the development of free verse with 22 poems, written in two-poem cycles called 'Die Nordsee' (The North Sea) (written 1825-1826).<ref>[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wcnooASgpFIC&pg=PR17&lpg=PR17&dq=%22free+verse%22+heine+north+sea&source=bl&ots=EsVSRB10w-&sig=mbKzidTInCJXeSbDp4_2lx_WJaA&hl=en&ei=CUYDS7HcI-LOjAf8guGuAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22free%20verse%22%20heine%20north%20sea&f=false]</ref> These were first published in 'Buch der Lieder' (Book of Songs) in 1827. |
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Free verse in English was persuasively advocated by critic [[T. E. Hulme]] in his ''[[A Lecture on Modern Poetry]]'' (1908). |
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==Form and Structure== |
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Although free verse requires no meter, rhyme, or other traditional poetic techniques, a poet can still use them to create some sense of structure. A clear example of this can be found in [[Walt Whitman|Walt Whitman's]] poems, where he repeats certain phrases and uses commas to create both a rhythm and structure. |
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Because of a lack of predetermined form, free verse poems have the potential to take truly unique shapes. The poet is given more license to express and, unrestrained by traditional bounds, has more control over the development of the poem. This could allow for a more spontaneous and essentially individualizing factor. |
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==See also== |
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*''[[Mysterious Music: Rhythm and Free Verse]]'' (book) |
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==References== |
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*[[Charles O. Hartman]], ''Free Verse: An Essay on [[Prosody (poetry)|Prosody]],'' Northwestern University Press, 1980. ISBN 0-8101-1316-3 |
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*[[Philip Hobsbaum]], ''[[Meter (poetry)|Metre]], Rhythm and Verse Form'' |
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*[[H. T. Kirby-Smith]], ''The Origins of Free Verse,'' University of Michigan, 1996. ISBN 0-472-08565-4. |
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*[[Timothy Steele]], ''Missing Measures Modern Poetry and the Revolt Against Meter'', University of Arkansas Press, 1990. |
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==Notes== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Free Verse}} |
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[[Category:Poetic form]] |
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[[az:Sərbəst şeir]] |
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[[bs:Slobodni stih]] |
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[[ca:Vers lliure]oh poo |
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[[de:Freier Vers]] |
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[[es:Verso libre]] |
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[[eo:Libera verso]] |
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[[fr:Vers libre]] |
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[[gan:自由詩]] |
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[[ko:자유시 (문학)]] |
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[[hy:Ազատ ոտանավոր]] |
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[[it:Verso libero]] |
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[[ka:ვერლიბრი]] |
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[[lt:Verlibras]] |
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[[nl:Vrij vers]] |
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[[ja:自由詩]] |
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[[pl:Wiersz wolny]] |
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[[pt:Verso livre]] |
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[[ro:Vers liber]] |
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[[ru:Верлибр]] |
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[[simple:Free verse]] |
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[[sv:Fri vers]] |
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[[uk:Верлібр]] |
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[[ur:آزاد نظم]] |
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